LONG READ ‘Brendan takes things very emotionally, very personally. It’s part of his super power’

Brendan Venter’s return to the English rugby frontline this season carries with it the prospect of creativity and controversy in equal measure.

The colourful South African’s decision to leave his Cape Town medical practice and return for a second stint as Saracens director of rugby triggers a panorama of possibilities.

On the one hand Venter is one of the game’s sharpest minds. As Italy’s defence coach in 2017, he was the architect of ‘The Fox’ tactic which magically erased the offside line and, for a half at least, until a baffled England worked out how to play against it, gave a vastly inferior side parity at Twickenham.

On the other he is – or certainly was first time around at Sarries – a disciplinary case waiting to happen.

Emotional, up front and fiercely defensive of his flock, he will be one of the league’s box-office off-field attractions. If Amazon have any loose change left for another fly-on-the-wall documentary, they should follow him around for the season.

We’re rolling around the office tackling suitcases and stuff. I was thinking: ‘this is just bonkers’ but each to their own. It was never a dull moment with Brendan.

Alex Sanderson, the Sale director of rugby, worked under Venter as a young coach at Saracens last time around.

“I remember doing breakdown drills with him once on the carpet of his office,” recalled Sanderson.

“I’m saying: ‘I want to do this’ and he says: ‘Well show me’ and I’m actually having to demonstrate on him. We’re rolling around the office tackling suitcases and stuff. I was thinking: ‘this is just bonkers’ but each to their own.

“It was never a dull moment with Brendan.”

Part of the World Cup-winning Springboks squad in 1995, whose last cap for South Africa saw him sent off for stamping against Uruguay at the 1999 tournament, Venter cut his coaching teeth as player-coach at London Irish, winning the Powergen Cup in 2002.

When he joined Saracens in 2009 as their seventh coach in as many years, they were something of a laughing stock, burning through money but going nowhere.

In his 16 months in the job, he transformed the place, taking Saracens to the 2010 Premiership final and putting the foundation stones in place for the stream of success that followed under Mark McCall.

The RFU’s disciplinary judgement included a memorable couple of paragraphs censuring Venter for eating a biscuit and throwing sweet papers at his hearing, as he awaited his fate.

Trouble followed him around though. He was banned for that Premiership final after an initial suspended sentence – for questioning in an interview whether referee David Rose had been influenced at half-time in a game Saracens lost against Leicester – was activated and extended to 14 weeks following another flare-up with the Tigers.

He was found guilty of making provocative and inappropriate gestures during a Saracens win at Welford Road, bowing and blowing kisses to infuriated home fans.

The RFU’s disciplinary judgement included a memorable couple of paragraphs censuring Venter for eating a biscuit and throwing sweet papers at his hearing, as he awaited his fate.

Sarries claimed the judgement bordered on self-parody and compared the way English rugby was run to a rural prep school.

Venter was back on the naughty step five months later, this time with the European authorities, when he was found guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute for his post-match criticism of referee Christophe Berdos after a defeat by Leinster. He was fined 25,000 euros, 15,000 of which was suspended.

The run-in was the catalyst for his infamous post-match Sky interview after Saracens’ defeat by Racing Metro in Europe.

Throwing it back to the greatest interview in rugby history.

Three cheers for Sireli Bobo! https://t.co/yFykD32LPR pic.twitter.com/SYT5GXcRGh

— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) January 23, 2026

Venter, taking inspiration from a comedy sketch in the film Mike Bassett: England Manager, delivered a series of deliberately short, obtuse answers, plus the enduring line ‘Three cheers for Sireli Bobo’.

The interviewer was Martin Gillingham, who gave an object lesson in live reporting under fire. Instead of crumbling, Gillingham pressed harder and harder for a coherent response until the point where it became apparent it was pointless carrying on. Stretching the interview to almost a minute was a triumph in itself.

“I was a bit like a swan on the water. Beneath it, I can tell you, I was kicking rather frantically,” said Gillingham.

“The first inkling I’d had that something different might be about to happen was before the game when I’d run into Edward Griffiths, the Saracens chief exec. Venter had ex-communicated himself from media duties for a time after his disciplinary issues but Edward informed me that he would be up for interview after the game. My recollection is that he told me it would be a good one.

When I heard Martin Turner, the director, in my ear telling me ‘Martin, say goodbye’, that was the perfect moment to bring it to an end.

“It took place in a tight, cubby-hole room about the size of a downstairs toilet at Vicarage Road. I was the unwitting stooge, I suppose, desperately trying to keep it going. I had voices in my ear from the TV truck in Northampton, saying: ‘what’s going on?’

“I think my naturally combative nature helped. If he was going to play games with me, I wasn’t going to just take that lying down.

“But it couldn’t have gone on much longer. When I heard Martin Turner, the director, in my ear telling me ‘Martin, say goodbye’, that was the perfect moment to bring it to an end. It might have tailed off very badly otherwise.

“Venter just went straight off afterwards. Griffiths, who had somehow squeezed himself into the back to watch, was giggling away like a schoolkid. Although Venter was the star, I’ve got no doubt that he was the scripter and producer of the whole thing.

“I was very amused but also hugely relieved that I had got through it. It only lasted 50-odd seconds but I did wonder afterwards what would have happened if I had run out of questions.

“The post-script was the two sides played each other again in France the week afterwards and I interviewed Brendan again pre-match. He answered every question perfectly normally. He didn’t mention the previous week at all. No smiles, no acknowledgement, nothing.”

From the outside it was easy to take a negative view of Venter during that period but from the inside it was a different story. There was an empathetic, caring side to Venter which his players responded to.

Here is Sanderson again.

“My first experience of working under a head coach was Eddie Jones, who was one extreme – a lot of stick – but Brendan was quite the opposite,” he said.

“Not in terms of standards or acumen – they’re both very sharp coaches – but certainly in terms of leaning towards family, connections, best time spent, not just length of time spent. There was a lot more carrot, a lot more arm around.”

He’s very open to new ideas, innovative ideas. He gives you the time, the space and the security to explore but he’s always looking for an edge.

Venter’s first few weeks at Saracens this time around has seen the squad take part in wine-tasting sessions, card games and personality tests so he can work out how to get the best out of each of them.

“He’s very open to new ideas, innovative ideas,” said Sanderson. “He gives you the time, the space and the security to explore but he’s always looking for an edge. Not just through the parameters and the rules of the game but through the psychology of the sport which he knows is all important. He’s always able to push buttons.”

The current Saracens players have not seen it yet but they should know that he is prepared to reach for the red one under the pane of glass if necessary.

“He can get angry, yes. He’d get heated even in morning meetings,” said Sanderson. “He takes things very emotionally, very personally – certainly in the moment and around results which we all do. I see it as part of his super power.

“He’s not come all this way to be average. Those are his words. And he will do everything he can within his power and his remit – and probably a few things beyond – to make sure that Saracens are more than competitive, I’m sure. It’s going to be fun.”

The feedback from the Saracens players about their colourful, charismatic new supremo is that they are enjoying the ride so far.

Will everyone else enjoy him as much? We shall see.

With delicious irony, given Venter’s history, Saracens start out in the Prem against Leicester at Welford Road on Sunday. Let the games begin.